Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Indonesia-Brasil Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, November 17, 2024

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Attendees of the Indonesia-Brazil Business Forum.

Thank you very much for this occasion, thank you very much for the organizers, and thank you very much distinguished guests who I understand come from other parts of Brazil.

 And, today is… Sunday. I’m confused. I don’t know the days anymore because I just carry out what my team tells me what to do. So, I really appreciate it, on a Sunday, for all of you from Brazil. I understand that Sunday is a sacred day but you make the effort to come here and to meet us. So, I’m very honored.

As you know, Indonesia and Brazil, I think we have many common, let us say, common elements between us. We are relatively big countries, we have big population, we have big resources. Brazil is quite advanced in its industries. We are trying to catch up, we want to industrialize, and I think we can have a good synergy between us, we can have a good symbiotic relationship, and we have common interests together.

Brazil is very forward-looking, looking into the future. That’s why I think Brazil is a key leading member of BRICS. And, as you know I announced already that Indonesia has put in a request to be a member of BRICS. And, I was inaugurated on the 20th of October. And, I installed my cabinet on the 21st of October and I sent my Foreign Minister to fly direct to Kazan for the BRICS Summit, which I could not attend.

So, I think the BRICS organization with “B” as the alphabet that denotes Brazil shows how Brazil is actually on the forward edge of global developments. So, I applaud this. And actually, I already announced in 2014, when I started my attempt at running for President of Indonesia. I did announce that when I become President of Indonesia, I will bring Indonesia to join BRICS. So, that was when, 20th of October, I was installed, 21st [October], I sent my Foreign Minister and we want to join Brazil and the other BRICS countries. We think that this will be a significant new element in the global economy.

I think… Mr. Airlangga, you already addressed the forum today? No? Well, Mr. Hashim has already spoken to you so I think he has covered everything, so I don’t need to make too many comments, what do you think? I will just give a few remarks and I better give the floor to you, so that I answer your questions. I think it’s better that way, right? But anyway, in general, I think I, myself, am very optimistic and bullish. I’ve seen the figures, I’ve seen the plans, and I have focused on what I consider the strategic fundamental elements of a strong modern country.

First, I see, as every leader must see, that a country must feed its own people, there is no use to have a state, to have a republic, to have a government who cannot feed its own people. This is so fundamental and it’s part of my belief for many years. A country must be able to feed its own people. Therefore, food security is foremost in my strategy. And, this is in line with the theme of the G20 Summit: to fight against poverty and hunger. So, I’m completely in line with your president’s thinking and your president’s strategy.

Growth, yes, prosperity is our goal. But there is no use for high growth if the majority of the people cannot enjoy that growth, if the wealth is only held by the very very few. In my opinion, that is a recipe for a failed state. That is my conviction. There must be equal opportunity. The economy must not be designed to keep the majority of the people poor. This cannot be. We cannot accept hunger.

I say very clearly everywhere, what is the use of Indonesia being a member of the G20 when 25 percent of our children do not have enough to eat. So, that’s another of my strategic program: free meal to every child of Indonesia. And in this, I want also to learn from Brazil which has already a successful program. So, I have asked my team to arrange with your ambassador to Indonesia, we want to send a team to study this, the Brazilian meal program for the school children.

So, after the food sufficiency and the meals for the children, we are also going into energy self-efficiency. And, we are blessed, as also Brazil, maybe we are, I think, there are only two or three countries in the world that can be very soon self-sufficient in green energy and renewable energy. I think Brazil is more advanced with us, with the use of biofuel energy from plant-based and you’re very successful in ethanol. And, we are going into biodiesel, producing diesel from palm oil. We are now at 35-40 percent, we want to boost to 50 percent by 2025. And this will make us basically produce our own diesel and be completely green, renewable.

We also have a lot of hydropower, a lot of geothermal power, we have a lot of, of course, energy from the sun, and this makes us very very bullish, very very excited, exciting to meet the future. We also have critical minerals and we plan to design and produce our own nuclear reactors, so we can also work together with a Brazilian industry.

In the field of fisheries, we are also potential, very potential. I speak with the experts, we are, I think maybe our reserves in fishing, reserves in the world we are number two or number three in fishing reserves and the potential is very very big. We have a need of vacuum of 40,000 fishing vessels, 150 GT to 300 GT, 40,000 vacuums. So, it’s another field that we invite foreign corporations to take part in our economy.

And then, of course, after all this we want to industrialize and this by downstreaming our resources. We are committed to this and we have a strategic plan which will be carried out soon in all the 26 commodities that we have delineated as 26 commodities that are strategic in our view that can create real value, multiple times, that can make us more involved in the manufacturing of goods, and also making more use of our maritime resources. Maritime resources produce, of course, protein and many, many products from the maritime.

So, we are open, we are open for business. I, before being involved in politics, I was also an entrepreneur, businessman, so I see both sides of the picture, right? As a government, we want to increase revenue tax. As businessmen, we want to look for the best tax deals. So, I think it takes an entrepreneur, a businessman to know a businessman, right? So we are willing to compromise, we are willing to create a business climate. We need jobs, we need growth, we need technology, we value investment. So it is our, we are dedicated, we are determined to create a positive business environment.

As you know Indonesians, many of you have been already active in Indonesia, many years. Indonesians are very, we like foreign guests as you know, right? We are very open people and we welcome guests. And, for us, a guest is someone we have to protect, someone that we value.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I better not continue. You know the problem with politicians, if they’re given a chance, they will speak and speak and speak. So, I will conclude my remarks and then I will make myself available if you have any questions you want to direct to me.

Thank you very much.